Japan is generally viewed positively, except in China and South Korea a poll for the BBC World Service suggests. The poll asked 28,000 people in 27 countries to rate a dozen countries plus the European Union in terms of whether they have a positive or negative influence.

Canada, Japan, and the EU are viewed most positively, perhaps because they have all taken less high-profile roles in the world's recent confrontations.

The most negative image have Israel (56%), Iran (56%), US (51%) and North Korea (48%).